“Will you be there during the fashionable hour? I believe my mother and sister intend to be present tomorrow, and of course, I must attend with them. They will not notice if I depart with you for a short while, nor will they care.”
Speaking off-handedly, she did not see the flash of surprise in Lord Foster’s expression. However, she did notice the way that his eyes rounded a little, and the way he tilted his head to one side. Did he have sympathy for her? Or was he only surprised at her lack of propriety?
“Tomorrow, at the fashionable hour would suit me very well. We shall take a walk together and I will tell you everything, including something which has only recently occurred, for it is just as relevant as the rest, I think.”
The urge to ask him what this was rose in Alice, but she did not allow it to be spoken.
“Very well. Tomorrow, during the fashionable hour.”
She bobbed a curtsey, looking back into the eyes of the gentleman who, one day soon, would become her husband. Should all go well, she would stand up beside him in church and make her promises, and soon after become mistress of his house.
If there is any house to be mistress of!
“Thank you, Lord Foster. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow.”
Lord Foster nodded. His eyes were already back across the room, looking away from her, as though now that their arrangements had been made, he had no need to further this conversation.
“Tomorrow, Miss Lawrence. Good evening to you.”
A little surprised at the swift sting of pain which entered her heart. Alice lifted her lips in a smile and ignored everything else. She was not about to become emotional over Lord Foster. Their arrangement was made, and the discussion was over, so of course, it was natural that he did not need to pay her any further attention. Turning on her heel, she made her way back toward her sister and her mother. Neither of them noticed her reappearance. Henrietta was too busy talking to three gentlemen who were all studying her in rapt amazement, as though every word she spoke was prophetic, and Lady Blackford looked on, pride in her broad smile and twinkling eyes.
It was an expression that Alice would never be able to place on her mother’s face, no matter what she did.
But now, at least, I shall not be alone for the rest of my days. I shall not be a drudge. I will not be under the thumb of my father’s rule and forced to become a companion to an old aunt until I too am of an age where I require a companion.
A small smile pulled at her lips.
I am to be Lady Foster.
Chapter Seven
William shook his head to himself. He had received a note from Lord Wiltsham only a few moments ago telling him that the fellow had returned to his estate and did not know when he would be back in London. It was obvious that Lord Wiltsham was heavy-hearted over the situation and struggling to come to terms with his new state, and William could not blame him for that. It was indeed a dreadful situation. Having already been ejected from White’s, he had received not one, but two notes, telling him that previous invitations were now rescinded - and he fully expected that more would come. To those who still extended an invitation to him, it would be for their own benefit as his presence would, no doubt, garner the interest of those in society who reveled in others' misery.
But I shall not return to my estate.Slamming one fist on the table, William shook his head again, then glanced at the clock. He only had a few minutes before he needed to prepare for his walk with Miss Lawrence.
Miss Lawrence, who is to be my bride.
The shock of such a thought ran straight through him and he gripped his quill hard to the point that it bent and then snapped completely. All the more irritated, William slammed his fist down hard on the desk again, making the ink bottle rattle.
“I am becoming much too caught up with Mis Lawrence.”
Speaking aloud, William dropped his broken quill, and then reached to ring the bell for his butler. He had only a sennight left before he would have to let some of his servants find other employment, but for the moment he was determined to keep them on. It gave him a small sense of security, knowing that the servants had nothing to whisper about as regarded their security in his London home as yet - but it was a security that he would soon have to break.
And all because I followed Lord Gillespie’s advice.
Shaking his head to himself, William pushed fingers through his disordered hair and then stood up abruptly from his desk.
It had been one moment. One moment when he had chosen to do as an acquaintance suggested, and thereafter had come nothing but problems. Had Lord Gillespie known that William and the rest of his friends would go into the gaming hell and lose their fortunes? Had he felt any guilt over the matter? There were so many unanswered questions that lingered, burning through William’s mind as he began to pace around the room, trying not to allow anger to take hold of him.
It feels as though my life is spinning out of control.
He had been perfectly contented before. A gentleman in London, who had finally found himself a bride. Lady Florence had been beautiful, her character gentle, and she was everything that he believed he needed in a wife. Now, however, he had lost her, as well as his fortune. His reputation was sinking slowly and the only person who seemed able to be of any aid to him was Miss Lawrence. She had promised that she believed his loss of fortune had not been his doing, but whether or not she truly, in her heart of hearts, believed that he spoke the truth, William did not know. To his surprise, his eagerness for her to believe his every word was growing steadily. This afternoon, he would tell her all, and a part of him ached over the thought that she might doubt him, once his explanation was finished. How much he wanted her to believe him! She was, he realized, his only ally.
I am lost.
The feeling of being entirely rudderless, drifting along without any guidance as to where one might fall, was a little overwhelming. Panic gripped his heart and William fought against it with all of his might, dropping his head and standing quite still so that he could draw in long breaths to calm himself. Despite his determination to win against this set of circumstances, concern that he could lose everything and continue to be without it for the rest of his days began to push its way deep into his mind. With Lord Gillespie dead, there was every chance that he would remain as he was at present - for where was he to turn next? He might never find out who had manipulated him in such a disastrous way. There was a chance that he could remain in poverty and, thereafter, have a wife to concern himself with also. A wife would be another mouth to feed, another body to clothe. Doubts reared their head, forcing William’s heart to beat with great fury and fright. Had he really been wise in accepting Miss Lawrence’s bargain?
For a moment, his future drew itself out in front of him, threatening him with great and overwhelming darkness. He saw his house in London being sold, given to another who could well afford it. He saw himself in his estate, sitting by a meager fire, with only a hard bit of bread in one hand and a glass of water in the other as he shivered from the cold. The estate was crumbling, with no money to put into its improvements, and he had no one else around him. No servants, no friends, no society to speak of. Was that the future he was now looking at? Would he be the one in his family to leave a legacy of death and destruction rather than security and prosperity?